The Pacifica is actually an excellent car...Their Motor Mounts are a different story...

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration need to grow a pair and make Chrysler come clean on them...

Their failure leads to all kinds of problems that dealers pass off as "non-warrantied" issues to the consumer.

How many Pacifica owners have had electrical problems?...The cause is from broken motor mounts allowing unrestricted movement of the drive train which places stresses on the wiring harness in the form of broken ground wires to mangled wiring harnesses....some blamed on animals "gnawing" on the wires by dealerships...laughable at best...

How many Pacifica owners have had their radiator hoses come off?...Again unrestricted movement of the drive train which pulls the radiator hose off the radiator.

How many Pacifica owners have had their fuel lines disconnect from the fuel rail?...Again unrestricted movement of the drive train which pulls the fuel line off...

How many Pacifica owners have had premature tie rod end failures?...Are we all so naive to not realize that an engine that is not secured will put stresses on these components and will cause their early demise?

How many Pacifica owners have complained of "thumping" or "hard shifting" and have been told that the "transmission was bad"...It was really just the motor mounts...

So many problems can be traced back to motor mounts and we replace them only to replace them a year and a half later...

Buy a Pacifica with caution...Chrysler has allowed something as ridiculous as a $40 motor mount to compromise the integrity of their brand...Good luck Fiat!!!

 

Wow, will hafta watch out for that, I haven't heard anything clunking up there so far.

 

Easy fix... say to the Dealer:

"OK, so you are saying that all that "other" damage was NOT caused by the broken Motor Mounts but by other things and the clunking noise is the only real thing I have to worry about as broken M.M. can't possibly cause any other kind of damage.

OK then, I can live with the clunking noise for a bit, just fix the other damage, and leave the Motor Mounts as is. If your right, I'll be back in a few months to replace the Motor Mounts, if not, I'll be back sooner with the exact same damage to the same parts (and maybe more) and have you replace them AGAIN plus, refund the original parts cost and then you can fix the motor mounts plus any and all other damage!"

If they say that the damage could still be caused by the "other factors" with or without the M.M. being fixed, then have them replace the M.M. and say the if you're right about "other causes" then I should be back in a few months with the same damaged parts. If not...

I can't see to many dealerships wanting that kind of exposure....

Cheers!

 

How did your sister repair her engine? I thought they only can be replaced.

 

Honestly I love my '07 4.0. It's a blast to drive, it accelerates quickly, the auto-stick 6speed is fantastic and responsive, and it rides smooth as a cloud. No major problems, only motor mounts needed replacement, and routine stuff. Goes through oil quickly though, but maybe that's because I can't keep my foot off the pedal

 

Alright so I have my 2006 3.5 Pacifica for 3 years now and I had lots of problems which I never imagined as being a previous Toyota owner. I am going to list the problem here to answer similar future question as posted by OP and to keep track of my headaches.

1) So bought the car in 2010 with about 50,000 miles on it. Within a month I had ABS light coming on. As you know it needed all 4 ABS sensor replaced because of poor sensor quality used. I was out of $350 including labor. Here is my original post: 06 Pacifica ABS light - Page 2 - Chrysler Forum - Chrysler Enthusiast Forums

2) Soon after ABS issue was fixed I had P0420 code on within 5000 miles. As you know this code meant failed Catalytic Converter. However Chrysler covered the Catalytic converter under 8 years federal mandated emission equipment warranty. Here is my original post: P0420?? - Chrysler Forum - Chrysler Enthusiast Forums

3) By this time I realized that my Pacifica is using oil. When all those codes start lighting up the dash, I started keeping track of all the fluids. I was adding one quart of oil every 1000 miles. I have tried different brand of oils and filter with no benefit. Asked some shops who told me an old engine with 60,000 miles is expected to lose oil. After the Cat Conv. failure, I always thought that car burning oil might have something have to do with Cat Conv failure. Here is my original post which I did posted till early 2011: 05 Pacifica AWD Using Oil - Chrysler Forum - Chrysler Enthusiast Forums

4) Cruise control failed within 2 months, and by then it was September 2010. It needed a new 'vacuum canister' replaced by dealer for $160. Here is my original post: https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...404/#post40744

5) This is my favorite part about this car. In mid 2007 I started having leak of pink color liquid on the floor. I initially thought it was transmission fluid. But then I noticed coolant getting low. I took to a local mechanic for diagnosis. I had 71,000 miles on the car by then. Mechanic charged me $80 diagnostic fee & told me that it is a coolant leak which is coming from ''up there some where''. It could be a hose that may be leaking or might very well be a leak from water pump. The asked me to put a deposit for $250 if I want them to venture further into diagnosing the issue. This sounded fishy as I knew if I put down $250 than I am on the hook to pay more for the fix.

I took the car back so and took it to the dealer who suggested coolant flush. Within one week car stalled while going over a bump @ 15 mph. It had to be towed to the nearest mechanic. To make long story short they have discovered that a wrongly threaded screw broke off from the water pump and shredded the timing belt. Due to torn timing belt, I got bent valves. So that coolant was leaking from the water pump due to broken off screw. In the end it did cost me about $1900. The original thread makes for an interesting read here: https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...836/#post54491

Now this broken water pump screw from water pump reminded me of NHTSA Case Number : PE07052 which I came across during my pre-purchase research. This NHTSA case involved engine fires in Pacifica due to a cross threaded screw in 'Power Steering Line' which caused the power steering fluid leak and subsequent fire. The complete case is here (you may have to google this case number): Defect Investigations Results | Safercar.gov | NHTSA

Now my water pump issue was similar to that power steering screw issue reported to NHTSA. I think Chrysler should not let workers assemble the vehicles when they are high.

We are in 20011 by now. To Be Continued, time permitting .............................

 

I love my 2004 Pacifica, however if it had not been for the extended warranty I would have cried. I've had a new engine, transmission, replaced the two (yes I said two) fuel pumps, radiator, umm I think that's it. I still love the room and extra's.

 

Continued from my previous post...........

By this time I was totally spooked by the car. I knew that Chrysler is not the most reliable brand in the industry but I never imagined these many headaches. Meanwhile I was still having oil use issue. Since I wanted to be proactive so I took it to another mechanic and had EGR valve, PCV valve, serpentine belt and pulleys changed. I also got myself a new battery in 2011 just for the heck of it.
6) By early 2012 I started having whining noise from under the hood. I found that it was coming from Alternator. Dealer wanted $300 for the alternator and $150 to put it in. By this time I had acquired Pacifica factory service manual and parts list & I was little more savvy. I researched and found that I can just have the alternator pulley changed instead of having a whole new alternator. So I bought the ‘Gates’ brand pulley, took out the alternator by renting the tools to pull serpentine belt and took it to an alternator rebuild shop. Total cost was under $90. Wohoo. I was excited. Here is the link to original post: https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...089/#post58705

7) My wife was driving the car one day in late 2011 and noticed car over heating and fumes coming from under the hood. She stopped the car and noticed large amount of liquid under the engine. So car needed to be towed to a mechanic (a different one). He found a crack coolant hose. Diagnosis and replacement did cost $90. I was excited since it was the least I have paid to a mechanic to repair Pacifica. I did not post about this, since I considered it as a minor issue. Having the Pacifica towed was not that of a big deal by then.

8) Now I am having difficulty remembering what happened next. I was still having issue with engine using oil. I think I started having steering issue where I needed to make constant adjustment in the steering so that I can drive in a straight line on interstate. Also car was bit jumpy on bumps and it was some time in 2012. Took it to a mechanic and it some suspension part which wore out and needed replacement. I cannot remember which part. Cost was little above $400 including labor.

9) I am foggy now but I think we are in 2013 by now. I had another 'Check Engine Light' lit up the dash which I read as P0300 code (engine misfire). By this time I had my own code scanner, service manual and parts list. It was cold outside so I reset the code thinking that engine may be too cold when it misfired, and the code has not returned yet. Now imagine if I took the car to a dealer with engine misfire code, how much do you think it would have cost me?

10) My wife was driving the crap err sorry car again and transmission got stuck in 2nd or 3rd gear and 'Check Engine Light' came back up. She go back home and in limp home mode. I scanned the codes and turned out to be P0700 & P0846. Now these are transmission related codes and taking a car to transmission shop with these codes meant another $2,500 out of pocket for a new transmission. By the time I have read enough and knew I better had my alternator/electrical system checked before going to a transmission shop.
Alternator was tested at a local Advance Auto Parts and it turned out that battery is dead. Since battery was purchased 2 years ago, it was replaced under warranty. Alternator however checked out ok. Replacing the battery fixed the transmission issue. I was still suspicious of the car as how it had managed to kill the battery in 2 years. Took it to a mechanic and had all the ground terminals cleaned and checked for shorts. Here is the post:

https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...669/#post70400

11) Now last month I had a P0456 code come up which is "Small Evap Leak" code. As most of the regular readers would know that it is a problem with fuel pump design and a small part breaking off from fuel pump is the cause. So I needed a fuel pump change and my wallet was $700 lighter. By now I have 105,000 miles on the car.

12) About 10 days ago 'Check Engine Light' came back again and this time it was P0420 code again. As you may know it is a Catalytic Converter failure code. I had same fault code in 2011 (or may be in 2010) and car needed a new factory Cat Conv. Now after 2 years Cat Conv has died again. I tried to reset the code but it came back within 5 days. Since my crap err car is still using oil I think all the extra oil being burnt by the engine might have killed the Cat Conv. in such a short time. So I guess I would be out of $500 soon. Here is my original post: https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...ge2/#post72106
I have talked to a local mechanic about the engine using oil issue and he said that in his experience usually the piston rings are the problem in these 3.5L Chrysler engines. He has recommended a new crate/Jasper engine rather than spending money on the old one. Engine would cost in the neighborhood of $3500 and labor would be in addition to that.

So those are the issues I have encountered so far. I don't know if Chrysler Pacifica is crap (the question asked by OP) but the lesson I have learned so far is to never buy a car again which is made by a unionized auto maker, whether domestic or foreign. Your mileage may vary.

 

Raindrop, do you have a list? I have an '04 and really like it but need to know if it's time to reconsider. We have triplet toddlers and don't need to be stranded.
Also, the alternator belt pulley, you replaced yours, and is it quiet now? I have a grinding sound and was told alternator needs replacing. I want to try the pulley first. What's your part source for that stuff?
Rick
rgilmore.info on gmail

 

Raindrop, so you're blaming a union workers who built your car? Really? Not the engineers who designed it?


... in the meantime our 06 keeps rolling along without an ounce of trouble, need to add a quart of oil between changes but there's no visible blue smoke out the exhaust, I can live with that.


Rick, pull the belt off, spin the alternator, you'll know if that's the problem but I'm betting it is,